Controlling means for aircraft captapults



y 15, 1940- E. HOLLMANN 2,207,806

. CQNTROLLING MEANS FOR AIRCRAFT CATAPULTS Filed D80. 24, 1957 h I: y/jf g j I .7

QuT

Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES ammo con'moumc Means roa AIRCRAFT onerous ,Emil Hollmann, Kiel, Germany, .alsignor'to Deutsche Werke. Kiel Aktiengesellschatt, Kiel, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application December 24, 1931, Serial misrsoc Germany March 22, 1935 The present invention relates to controlling means for aircraft catapults.

According to the present invention a catapult f starting lever is automatically moved into the 6 starting position once this movement has been initiated by hand. In this manneraccidents are avoided that otherwise might occur it the starting lever be not moved into the starting position, once this movementhas been started, but is either 10 stopped in an intermediate position, or is moved back into its rest position,

In order that the invention may be clearly une derstood andreadily, carried into effect reference is made to ,the accompanying drawing which shows diagrammatically and by way oixexample controlling means in accordance with the.present invention. Figure 1 is a. diagram, illustrating the con-1 trolling device; and Figure 2 shows diagrammatically the combina--- tion of. the controlling. deyicewiththe catapult. Referring. to the drawing. the catapulting action is released by means of a startinglever 0, its rest position being indicated at -I and its starting position at n. The starting' ..1ever a-is connected by a rod b with awedge c.which.-acts on a slidabie member 41.. The slide member 51 is'maintained in its rest position bymeans of a spring d, and works in a housing e which is provided with a. channel e leading into the atmosphere andis connected through threepipes'fflfi, flwith a valve casing a. The valve casing is connected by; a flanged annulus g to a pipe (not shown) leading the pressure medium, e.:-g.-airpressure, for actuating the catapult. The valve casing 9 forms part of -or is connected with acyli-nder.v h; wherein a piston k is adapted to exert a catapultlng action in a known manner by=means of a cable passing over the pulley S and attached to a carriage Sch -(Fig. 2), the said piston beingactuated by the said pressure medium.- In the rest position of the catapult the pressure medium is shut oil fromthe cylinder h by a valve t which is heldiri the closed I position by the said pressure medium, and by a spring i. A piston 1c is connected with the valve i, the said piston In working in the upper part oi. the'valve casing. The pipe 1 leads to the space above the piston k3 a further comm member is interpolated in' the pipe I,- the said control member comprising a slide member n adapted to work in a housing m. The slide member n is held in its rest position by a spring 11.. A- control rail or rod o acts upon this'slide member, the said concatapult actuated during the catapulting opera-' trol member .0 being mounted on a member of the (c1. 24i-d3) tion. A pipe I is-branched oi! the pipe 1 before the latter entersthe valve casing 9. the pipe-f leading into-a housing -q wherein is provided a slidable member 1- which is connected by astrap 3 with the rod b of the starting lever a. v When the starting lever a is moved from its rest position I inthe direction of the arrow, in order to start the catapulting action, the slide member d'isdisplaced 'by the wedge c in such marmer, that the pressure medium entering through the pipe from the valve casing .g into the housing 0 enclosing the slidablemember d can flow through the pipe into the space above the piston k in'the'va'ive casing a. 'Ihiscauses the piston: k to be forced down, and the valve 2' to be opened in order that'the pressure medium can enter into the cylinder-h,-and can there act on the working piston-o1 the catapult. The pipe I- which connects the--cylinder-h,- in the rest posi-= tion of-the slide member d! through theichannel c with tire-atmosphere, is closed during that time by the slidablememberds The pressure medium flows simultaneously from the pipe I into the pipe I and thereby displaces the slide member r inthe:housing -q, sothat it moves the starting lever a into the starting position 11 by means 01- the'strap.

- Thereby, after the starting movement of the starting lever has been initiatedby hand, the

.lever a is moved into-its startin'g'position, inderail 0, thereby cutting 03, communication through 3 the pipe I with the slide member housing e,- and at the same time connecting the, pipe 1 leading to the valve casing" a, with theatmos'phere' through a channel m" in the slide member housiii'g m: I The space above the piston-- k is therefore un- 40 loaded, so that the valve i'i's no longer maintained in the open position by the piston k." The valve thereiorecloses'by the action of thespri'ng i and the pressure medium acting on it from below. By

" connecting this part ot-the'pipe f with the to atmosphere, the pipe #{Ts alsodischarged and thus the slide member 1' becomes unloaded, so that the, starting lever a can=again be moved by hand'into its rest position I.

I claim: I .1. A launching apparatus for a flying machine, said launching apparatus comprising means for moving the flying machine, means supplying a compressed fluid to the first-mentioned means for actuating the same and including a valve through which the compressed fluid flows on its way to the first-mentioned means while said valve is open, means supplying a compressed fluid to said valve to maintain it open, a lever device movable from an inoperative position to an operative position, means connected with said lever device and the third-mentioned means for preventing the flow oi the second-mentioned compressed fluid to said valve when said lever device is in its inoperative position andior causing the flow of the compressed fluid to said valve when said lever 'deviceis in its operative position, and means connected with said .lever device for causing it to complete its movement from said inoperative position to said opertive position after said movement has once been started. 2. A launching apparatus for a flying machine,

said launching apparatus comprising means for moving the flying machine,'means supplying a.

compressed fluid to the first-mentioned means for actuating the same and including a valve through which the compressed fluid flows on its way to the first-mentioned means while said valve is open, means connected with the second-mentioned means and with said valve for removing a part of the compressed fluid from-the secondmentioned means and for supplying it to said valve to maintain said valve open, the thirdmentioned means including a devicefor interrupting the flow of said part of the compressed fluid to said valve and for removing it from the valve to close said valve and thereby interrupt the flow of the compressed medium to the first-mentioned means, a lever movable from an inoperative position to an operative position, means connected with said lever and the third-mentioned means for actuating the third-mentioned means, and means connected with said lever for causing said lever to complete its movement from said inoperative position to said operative position after said movement has once been started.

3. A launching apparatus fora flying machine,

' said launching apparatus comprising means for moving the flying machine, means supplying a compressed fluid to the first-mentioned means for actuating the same and including a valve through which the compressed fluid flows on itsway to the flrst-mentioned means while said valve is openrmeans supplying a compressed fluid to said valve to maintain it open and including another valve comprising a valve casing having passages formed therein for the flow of the second-mentioned compressed fluid, and a valvebodymovable in said valve casing to establish a connection between said passages and to interrupt this connection; a lever movable from an inoperative position to an operative position, means connected with said lever and engaging said valve body to move the same and thereby establish a connection between said passages when said lever ismoved to said operative position, and means connected with said lever for causing said lever to complete its movement from said inoperative positionlto said operative position after started. 4. A launching apparatus for a flyin machine,

said movement has once been said launching apparatus comprising means for moving the flying machine,means supplying a compressed fluid to the first-mentioned means for actuating the same and including a valve through which the compressed fluid flows on its way to, the first-mentioned means while said "valve is open, means supplying is a comp fluid to said valve to it open and aaoaece cluding another valve comprising a valve ca3-' ing having passages formed therein for the flow of the-secondmentioned compressed fluid, and a valve body movable in said valve casing .to establish a connection between said passages and to interrupt this connection; a lever movable from an inoperative position to an operative erative, position after said movement has once .beenstarted.'

5. A launching apparatus for a flying machine, said launching apparatus comprising means for moving the ilving machine, means supplying a compressed fluid to the first-mentioned means for actuating the same and including a V81V6' through which the compressed fluid flows on its way to the first-mentioned means while said valve is open, means supplying a compressed fluid to said valve to maintain it open, a lever movableirom' an inoperative position to an operative; position. a rod connected with said lever, means connected with said rod and the thirdmentioned means for preventing the flow of the second-mentioned compressed fluid to said valve when said lever is in its inoperative position, .an auxiliary piston, means connecting said auxiliary piston with said rod, and means supplying a compressed fluid to said auxiliary piston to cause said leverto complete its movement from said inoperative position to said operative positionv after said movement has once been started.

6. A-launching apparatus for a flying machine, said launching apparatus comprising means for moving the flying machine, means supplying a compressedfluid to the first-mentioned means for actuating the same and including a valve through which the compressed fluid flows on its way to thefirst-mentioned means while said valve is open, means connected with the secondmentioned means and with said valve for removing a part of the compressed fluid from the second-mentioned means and for supplying it to said valve to maintain said valve open, a lever movable from an inoperative position to an operative position, means connected with said lever and the third-mentioned means for providing aflow of said part of the compressed fluid from the second-mentioned means to said valve as soon as a movement of said lever from said inoperative position to said operative position has been started, means connected with said lever for causing said lever to-complete its movement from said inoperative position to said operativeposition after said movement has once been started, and means connecting the third-mentioned means with theflith-mentioned means-to supply a portion of the compressed fluid from the third-mentioned means to the fifth-mentioned means to actuate the latter."

'1. A launching apparatus for a flying machine,- said launching apparatus comprising means formoving the flying machine, a casing for trans- .mitting a compressed fluid to said means for actuating the same, a valve casinghaving 'a passage for said compressed fluid formed-therein, a valve body movable within said valve cas- 7s ing and adapted to close said passage; an auxiliary piston connected with said valve body.

mentioned means ior supplying a portion ofithefllls f compressed fluid from the second-mentioned means to actuate said lever and cause it to complete a movement from saidinoperative position to said operative position after said movemen has once been started.

8. A launching. apparatus for a flying machine, said launching apparatus comprising means for moving the firms-machine, means supplying a com fluid to the first-mentioned means --said movement has once been started.

for actuating the same and including a valve through which the compressed fluid flows on its way to the first-mentioned means while said valve is open, means supplying a compressed fluid to said valve to maintain it open. means connected with said third-mentioned means for interrupting theiiow oi the second-mentioned compressed fluid to said valve close to the ,end of the launching action, a lever device movable from an inoperative position to an operative position, means connected with said lever-device and the third-mentioned means for preventing a .the flow oi the second-mentioned compressed fluid-tosaid valve when said lever device is in 'its inoperative position and for causing the flow of said compressed fluid to said valve when said lever device is in its operative position, and

means connected with said lever device'ior causing it incomplete its movement from said inoperative position to said operative position mm. nor-12mm aitergo 

